I have an IBM notebook that has a failing hdd according to belarc adviser and lately there is noises that where never there before. I have a new drive coming today and need help. Notebook is 4 years old. It has two partitions one is hidden with the operating system and all programs as it came when new. The other is the working partition. I don't have any discs that came with the computer. Here is what I do have:

When I first got Ghost 10 (about 6months ago) I made a backup of both partitions to my external hard drive(Iomega 320gb). Since that first time I have been unable to make another successful backup and I have tried many times and ask many questions here. Notebook has CD drive. I have to use adaptor card if I want USB 2.0. I have an external TDK DVD recorder. I do have a CD with XP PRO from another computer.

Can someone explain the steps I need to accomplish installing the new drive and data????

Your first order of business is to absolutely secure the contents of the failing MASTER HDD. The most sure and certain way I know of is to: (1) hook up your external HDD in the manner which is suitable for Windows - not necessarily for the DOS mode; (2) set up your BIOS where your optical drive is first in the boot order; (3) use the installation CD for Norton Ghost 10 to simply boot from the CD itself which will put you in a Windows XP Preinstalled Environment; (4) immediately engage the legacy Ghost Backup/Restore "cold-imaging" procedures by following the path

which will bypass any DOS-related USB mass-storage device glitches; and (5) perform a "(whole)disk-to-image" Ghost Backup of your failing HDD to store on your external HDD.

In essence, this procedure uses

restoreghost.exe

(an alternate name for

ghost32.exe

) from Norton Ghost Version 8.2 to allow both immediate creation of Ghost Backup images or the converse Recovery of such images that are in fact totally compatible and interchangeable with those *.gho/*.ghs files created with the

ghost.exe

of Norton Ghost 2003 -

but not with those created with Ghost 9, Ghost 10.0, or Save & Restore during "hot-imaging".

Albeit it is indeed slow to load, the installation CD bears the "cold-imaging" Windows-compatibleVer 8.2 which is exceedingly robust and has worked superbly for me on a failing system when even Norton Ghost 2003 could only spit out error messages.

CLICKHERE to view my preferred - but admittedly convoluted - "path-less-traveled" of using

What problems have you had with Ghost 10 over the last 6 months? Any error messages? If you can't get a current Ghost 10 recovery point to restore to the new HD then EP's suggestion will be an excellent alternative. It would be preferable to restore a current image rather than one that is six months old.

according to belarc adviser and lately there is noises that where never there before..."

Do not misundertand my recommendation. I am not trying to wean you away from "hot-imaging", but instead I am urging you to immediately perform a "field-expedient safeguard". Once that is done, you can relax and proceed at leisure in whatever manner you choose, i.e, perhaps even to consider using Norton Ghost Ver 8.2 to perform a"(whole)disk-to-(whole)disk" Clone to your replacement HDD. Note in the image below that Ghost Ver 8.2 has ancillary modes to deal with critical situations.

What problems have you had with Ghost 10 over the last 6 months? Any error messages?

Thanks for the reply.

I am going to try and save the data first and then I will see if I can get the latest error messages and post them for your review.Some of the old ones I had are as follows:Error EC8F17B7 E7C3000F EBAB03F1Going back from memory which isn't very good, these messages indicated I had bad sectors which I tried to fix with chkdsk and two or three other ways that were suggested in the many threads that I read before finally giving up. I am pretty dedicated, and I spent at least 40-50 hours reading and trying to figure it out. I didn't want to keep bothering you, since you were good enough to get ghost running for me the first time. This time sounds absurd but I am retired and do have the time when the chores (small kennel) are done.

Harold, when using Ghost 8.2 the choice should be Local > Disk > to image. I think you chose Local > Disk > to Disk.

It sounds like you have had a sick HD associated with bad sectors for a long time. If you have a lot of bad sectors now, the recovery point that you took six months ago may become the most reliable backup. We'll see.

"... I started to perform the operation and got to a message that said -Proceed with disk clone Destination drive will be overwritten

I cancelled the process because I have backups of two other computers on the external hard drive. Is there someplace in there to create a folder for only this operation so I don't lose the other info?..."

I am assuming that we are both talking about legacy Norton Ghost Version 8.2 running in a Windows Preinstalled Environment as opposed to "hot-imaging" Norton Ghost 10. If that is indeed the case, then I think what you wish to do is a legacy "disk-to-image" Norton Ghost Backup as opposed to a legacy "disk-to-disk" Norton Ghost Clone. Where some folks misinterpret what I am saying is by failing to thoroughly comprehend that "disk-to-image" in the legacy Norton Ghost lexicon means the physical HDD itself with all partitions - hidden or otherwise - are to be preserved. Some of these may be one or more logical drives inside an extended partition.

The legacy Ghost Backup will consist of a series of 2GB files with the extensions *.gho/*.ghs. Be advised that when the time comes to perform a legacy "image-to-disk" Norton Ghost Restore, the result is a process where the whole-disk Backup image overrides and overwrites pre-existing drive letter assignments, partitions, file file system formats, and logical drives (if any) on the Destination HDD.

If I am understanding all the info here, when I have completed the Legacy backup image, and were I unable to get a current Ghost 10 image, and then restored the Legacy image to the new hard drive I would not be able to use Ghost 10 again on that HDD?

My current status as of 7:34am: Legacy disc to image runningNew HDD arrived UPS @ 1:00am front door !!!Will try Ghost 10 backup when Legacy finishesWill report error messages if I have a failureWill then need guidance as to next step

If I am understanding all the info here, when I have completed the Legacy backup image, and were I unable to get a current Ghost 10 image, and then restored the Legacy image to the new hard drive I would not be able to use Ghost 10 again on that HDD?

No--you can use Ghost 10 to your heart's content! When using that *Legacy* Ghost32 v8.2 in the Ghost Recovery Environment--you are operating outside of the active Windows OS on your HDD--it creates an image of that HDD--but does not effect the HDD's ability to run Ghost 10.

When I read this section from EP:In essence, this procedure uses restoreghost.exe (an alternate name for ghost32.exe) from Norton Ghost Version 8.2 to allow both immediate creation of Ghost Backup images or the converse Recovery of such images that are in fact totally compatible and interchangeable with those *.gho/*.ghs files created with the ghost.exe of Norton Ghost 2003 - but not with those created with Ghost 9, Ghost 10.0, or Save & Restore during "hot-imaging". Also Brian mentioned that it would be better to get a current ghost 10 backup??? I think maybe my mind is now just mush and I am not understanding all the avenues there are to get this notebook up and running and assuming things that aren't really relevant.

The Legacy image completed without error but I did not run the integrity check. If I run the integrity check and it is okay can I just put in the new drive and run some kind of restore /recover from the 8.2 image and everything will be there and current and then run my backups from Ghost 10?

In essence, this procedure uses restoreghost.exe (an alternate name for ghost32.exe) from Norton Ghost Version 8.2 to allow both immediate creation of Ghost Backup images or the converse Recovery of such images that are in fact totally compatible and interchangeable with those *.gho/*.ghs files created with the ghost.exe of Norton Ghost 2003 - but not with those created with Ghost 9, Ghost 10.0, or Save & Restore during "hot-imaging".

Ah...okay, I understand. Basically Ghost32 v8.2 uses the same file types as the DOS version of Ghost 2003--and there is also a DOS version of Ghost 8.xx--they all make compatible files that can be used by each other--but those files can not be used by Ghost 9/10/or Save and Restore--can't intermingle file types.

And Ghost 9/10/or Save and Restore create files that can be read by each other, although the older Ghost 9 backup files may not be completely compatible with the newer Ghost 10 backup files. But those backup files can not be used with Ghost32 v8.2 or the DOS Ghost 8.xx or Ghost 2003.